The Hobbit or There and Back Again

By J.R.R. Tolkien; Adapted by Charles Dixon with Sean Deming

ISBN 10: 1560600543 / ISBN 13: 9781560600541

Published by Eclipse Books, 1989

About this Item

Film tie-in edition of the best-selling classic work of fantasy of Bilbo Baggins; adventures in Middle-earth, featuring the complete story told in both films, with a striking cover image from Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and drawings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien. The prelude to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most beloved and influential books of the twentieth century. It appears this copy has never been opened, it is as new. Very fine to as new; in above average condition, cover colors are above average with no blemishes front and back, Pages are as clean. No spine roll or damage. Protected in acid free plastic sleeves.

Seller Inventory # 1286-01

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Hobbit or There and Back Again
• Publisher: Eclipse Books
• Publication Date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1560600543
• ISBN 13: 9781560600541
• Binding: Soft cover
• Illustrator: Illustrated by David Wenzel
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Fantasy
  • Graphic Novels
  • Tolkien

About this title

Synopsis

First published in the United States more than sixty years ago, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" has become one of the best loved books of all time. Tolkien's fantasy was then adapted into a fully painted graphic novel, which became a classic in its own right.

Illustrated throughout in full color, and accompanied by the carefully abridged text of the original novel, this handsome authorized edition will introduce new generations to a magical masterpiece -- and be coveted by fans of all ages, everywhere, who are enchanted by Tolkien's classic tale.

Reprints/Collects: The Hobbit (1989) #1 - #3.

Review

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

The hobbit-hole in question belongs to one Bilbo Baggins, an upstanding member of a "little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves." He is, like most of his kind, well off, well fed, and best pleased when sitting by his own fire with a pipe, a glass of good beer, and a meal to look forward to. Certainly this particular hobbit is the last person one would expect to see set off on a hazardous journey; indeed, when Gandalf the Grey stops by one morning, "looking for someone to share in an adventure," Baggins fervently wishes the wizard elsewhere. No such luck, however; soon 13 fortune-seeking dwarves have arrived on the hobbit's doorstep in search of a burglar, and before he can even grab his hat or an umbrella, Bilbo Baggins is swept out his door and into a dangerous adventure.

The dwarves' goal is to return to their ancestral home in the Lonely Mountains and reclaim a stolen fortune from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they and their reluctant companion meet giant spiders, hostile elves, ravening wolves--and, most perilous of all, a subterranean creature named Gollum from whom Bilbo wins a magical ring in a riddling contest. It is from this life-or-death game in the dark that J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, The Lord of the Rings, would eventually spring. Though The Hobbit is lighter in tone than the trilogy that follows, it has, like Bilbo Baggins himself, unexpected iron at its core. Don't be fooled by its fairy-tale demeanor; this is very much a story for adults, though older children will enjoy it, too. By the time Bilbo returns to his comfortable hobbit-hole, he is a different person altogether, well primed for the bigger adventures to come--and so is the reader. --Alix Wilber